Alberta Road Tests: How to Book One and What Car to Bring

Alberta road tests for a Class 5 licence are booked through a registry agent, not through a driving school. This guide covers how to book, what the test car must have, what it costs and how to move a date. Our part is simple. You book the test and we supply the car.

How to book Alberta road tests online

Class 5 and 6 tests are given by driver examiners who work for or with registry agents. So you book through a registry, in five steps.

1. Check you qualify. Alberta.ca says you must be 16 or older and have held your Class 7 licence for at least 12 months.
2. Pay any fines. All fines owed to the Government of Alberta must be paid before you can book a road test.
3. Find your MVID. You need your Motor Vehicle Identification (MVID) number, the 9-digit number near the barcode on your licence.
4. Open the Alberta.ca road test map. The page, Book a passenger vehicle road test, lists only registries that offer road tests.
5. Book on the registry's site. Click a registry's pin for the link to its booking website, pick a date and keep the confirmation.

You can also book in person at a registry agent office.

Can you choose the location?

Yes, because you pick the registry, and the Driver's Guide says registry offices are the main places a test begins and ends. Alberta's information sheet for new drivers adds that charges and wait times vary by location, so compare a few offices first.

Can you get a same day road test?

Each registry runs its own booking calendar, so open slots differ from office to office. For a same day road test, check more than one registry on the map. If you do not pass, the same sheet says you may not take another road test on the same day.

Can driving schools give road tests?

No. The Driver's Guide says only people the Government of Alberta designates as driver examiners may give a road test. Alberta road tests for Class 5 are given by licensed examiners through registry agents. A driving school cannot pass or fail you. What a school can do is train you and bring a car for the test.

What must the test car have?

The 2026 Driver's Guide lists what a Class 5 test car must have:

• a valid licence plate and insurance
• headlights, brake lights and signal lights
• a horn and a speedometer
• brakes and a park brake
• an unobstructed windshield and working wipers
• tires in good condition
• driver and passenger doors
• seats and seat belts
• an exhaust system and muffler
• mirrors
• enough fuel for the test

The examiner checks the car before you drive. You sit in the driver's seat and help with the signal lights, brake lights, horn, brakes and steering. You also describe and show two controls, such as the hazard lights and wipers.

The four most common reasons a car is refused

Alberta's vehicle sheet says a car with safety problems is refused, and names the four most common failures:

1. Brake lights not working. The centre high mounted third brake light must work too.
2. A damaged windshield the driver cannot see clearly through.
3. Tinted front windows. No film or coating is allowed on the driver or front passenger windows.
4. Registration or insurance problems. The vehicle identification number (VIN) on the registration must match the one on the car, and you need the insurance card.

Nobody wants to lose a test fee over a light bulb.

Paperwork the examiner wants to see

Bring the car's registration document, its insurance card and your Class 7 licence. If the licence is temporary, without a photo, bring acceptable photo ID as well.

If the examiner refuses the car as unsafe or not legal, the Government of Alberta's own scheduler says the entire fee is lost. That scheduler runs the commercial classes, and registries set their own policies, so read yours. That is one reason many learners test in a school car.

Fees, cancelling and moving your date

There is no single provincial price for Class 5 road tests. Alberta.ca says each registry sets its own fee and must publish it online, and the province sets a maximum. You pay the registry office.

Each registry also has its own cancellation and no-show policy, listed on its information sheet. Read it before you pay. As a guide, the Government of Alberta's own scheduler uses three rules:

• Cancelling. Cancel at least 24 hours before the test and you are eligible for a full refund.
• Not showing up. Miss the test and you lose the entire fee.
• Bad weather. The examiner can cancel on short notice or on site, and you get a no charge form to rebook at no cost.

What City Driving School offers

Many learners look to rent a car for driving test day because the family car has tinted windows or a dead brake light. A rental still needs the registration and insurance card in the car, and it is a car you have never driven. For Alberta road tests, Car Use for Road Test is $90 plus GST. Our car is at the registry for your test, so you never need your own. Car Use with Training is $150 plus GST, one hour in our car with an instructor before your test. With the training hour, pickup and drop-off are free inside our service areas. A two hour Brush-Up adds practice first, $120 in Zones A and B and $130 in Zone C, plus GST.

Our instructors, men and women, are certified by Alberta Transportation. We have taught in Edmonton since 2009 and serve Edmonton South, Downtown and North, Beaumont and Sherwood Park. Book in five steps on the booking page and pay by PayPal or at the office. Give 24 hours notice to cancel or a $100 fee applies. For the test itself, read our road test day guide.